Number of Posts: 9
Posts 1 - 9
Dumbing Down the Phone for Children
Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 12.12.2015
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | childhood, smartphone, threat, youth
Summary | Parents all face the problem of their children wishing for smartphones for christmas at some point. Often, parents feel that point arrives too early. There are some possibilities to ease children into new media use, by getting a "dumbphone" for instance which has no internet access. Even smartphones have settings for parental control where curfews can be set when the child/teenager is supposed to sleep and not be able to use the smartphone or to block social media or in-app purchases. It is irresponsible to give young children/teenagers full use of a smartphone but one should give them access to the digital sphere in steps, just as one does not start teaching a child how to cook by handing it all the sharp knives.
Image Description | Photograph of a family in front of christmas tree gathered around a smartphone.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone
The Resistance
Newspaper | Washington Post
Date | 27.12.2015
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, smartphone, threat
Summary | The rapid development of new media has many people worrying about the 'end of the human era' especially with advancements in the development of artificial intelligence. We are constantly connected with our smartphones and are hardly ever 'in the moment'. Driving and texting is illegal but it still causes many accidents. The EU are passing a law for "the right to be forgotten" forcing search engines to suppress ambarrassing content from an individual's past. Many people are worried about government and other surveillance, leading them to use encrypted instant messaging services and cover up their webcams with duct tape. A resistance is developing lead by techno-skeptics.
Image Description | Portraits of individuals mentioned in the article: Astra Taylor & Jaron Lanier.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s)
Oculus VR: ‘Classrooms are broken. Kids don’t learn the best by reading books’
Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 3.11.2015
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | smartphone, virtual reality
Summary | Palmer Luckey thinks that virtual reality is going to be ubiquitous in the next decades, which is a good thing according to him. Not everyone can afford to travel to Washington D.C. or Paris, but virtual reality will give people the opportunity to experience things such as long trips overseas. Luckey also thinks that virtual reality will replace smartphones; we won't need them anymore. With virtual reality, we'll be able to experience physical intimacy with people far away, for instance. It will the change our relationships.
Image Description | Photograph of Palmer Luckey, and video of his talk.
Image Tags | male(s)
Im Digital-Detox-Camp sind Smartphones tabu
(Smartphones are taboo in digital detox camps)
Newspaper | 20 Minuten
Date | 23.7.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | addiction, smartphone, technology-free
Summary | Many people feel the need to restrict their technology use by taking a technology free or digital ‘detox’ holiday. Some tourist destinations already offer specific technology free accommodations, f.i. a monastery in Germany and a camp near Silicon Valley in California. Visitors are told to paint rather than instagram and talk to people rather than tweet. Ironically, these technology free spaces have become a luxury.
Image Description | Series of ten photographs potraying young people at digital detox camps.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s)
Schüler ärgern sich über offizielles Handyverbot
(Students are upset about official mobile phone prohibition)
Newspaper | 20 Minuten
Date | 14.8.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | school, smartphone, technology-free
Summary | Several schools in Switzerland have prohibited the use of mobile phones inside their buildings. Educators would like the students to interact with each other face-to-face rather than stare at their smartphones. Students are very upset, and media experts claim that schools need to adapt to changing times and teach a pragmatic use of new media.
Image Description | Photograph of a school playground where young people/students are walking.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), school
Wir schauen täglich 88-mal aufs Handy
(We look at our mobile phones 88 times a day)
Newspaper | 20 Minuten
Date | 13.10.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | addiction, smartphone
Summary | We spend 2.5 hours a day using our smartphones, and young people spend 3 hours a day. We look at our phones 88 times a day on average because the expectation of a message releases dopamin into our blood flow. The same mechanism causes gambling addiction with slot machines. We need to make an actual effort to make room for smartphone and internet free time in order to stay focused on the task at hand. Otherwise we run the risk of suffering from a ‘digital burnout’.
Image Description | Series of three photographs: portrait of interviewee, hands holding smartphones, and child using his smartphone in bed.
Image Tags | hand(s), male(s), smartphone
Ständig unanständig
(Constantly rude)
Newspaper | Beobachter
Date | 10.7.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | politeness, smartphone, threat, youth
Summary | People, especially younger generations, have become less considerate of their environment in a variety of ways. One factor causing this decrease in politeness is the smartphone. People are consumed by digital content and less aware of their actual surroundings. For example, when immersed in their smartphone, people might not see if somebody on the street needs help or if another passenger on the bus can’t sit down because one’s bag is on a seat. Personal meetings have also become less focused.
Image Description | Illustration of a cafeteria scene where young people are eating and using their smartphone.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone
Sklaven des Smartphones
(Slaves to smartphones)
Newspaper | Tages-Anzeiger
Date | 5.3.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | school, smartphone, threat
Summary | Japan and South Korea – both highly digitized nations – experience the negative effects of omnipresent internet access. The article infers that conversations have become a rarity because smartphones and the need to update social media profiles distract people. A South Korean literature scholar states that students hardly read books anymore; therefore, government incentives for reading have been established. The article even predicts a return to analphebetization in these nations.
Image Description | Photograph of a young man's face half-hidden by his iPhone.
Image Tags | male(s), smartphone
Du sollst kein Handy haben
(Thou shalt not have a cell phone)
Newspaper | Sonntagszeitung
Date | 30.8.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | smartphone
Summary | People are annoyed by masses of refugees with smartphones. The fact that they own modern technological devices makes their right of asylum less convincing. What people forget is that if they had to flee their country, one of the first things they would pack is certainly a smartphone. Thanks to free WiFi or cheap international phone service deals, owning a smartphone has become a basic human requirement next to having food and shelter. WhatsApp and other messaging apps are refugees’ means to stay in touch with their family, navigate through foreign territories, and communicate with human traffickers.
Image Description | Photograph of a group of young men taking a selfie with a selfie stick on a beach.
Image Tags | male(s), selfie, selfie stick
Page 1 of 1